Written question asked by David Reed (Conservative) on Friday, 28 August 2026, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 2 September 2026. It was answered by Michael Shanks (Labour) on Tuesday, 8 September 2026 on behalf of the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.

Natural Gas: Storage

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to the answer of 14 July 2026 to question 16797, how many times since 1 January 2025 have the industry emergency stocks been used.

Answer: There has been one International Energy Agency coordinated emergency stock release since January 2025 – the action announced on 11 March 2026 in response to the Middle East conflict and Strait of Hormuz disruption. The UK's contribution was ~14 million barrels which DESNZ moved quickly to make available by lowering the obligation on companies to hold stocks. Further information on industry stock levels can be found at: ET_3.11_AUG_26.xlsx

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: 25226
Session: 2026-27
Related items: Natural Gas: Storage
Tuesday, 14 July 2026
Written questions
House of Commons
Subjects: Natural gas Storage
Contains statistics: Yes
Link: View this Written question on www.parliament.uk